How Still We See Thee Lie
by William Wolfe
Summary: The final moments of Lily and James Potter as they face Lord Voldemort, and die for their son. Darkfic, songfic, oneshot


DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters mentioned in this fanfiction, nor do I own anything mentioned from the Harry Potter universe. Stop plagiarism!

WARNING: This is a darkfic. If you do not want to read about a character death or anything of the sort, please click back now. You have been warned.

**HOW STILL WE SEE THEE LIE**

Panic. That was the emotion that surged through Lily Potter's mind and heart as she watched the cloudy, purple sky above Godric's Hollow become a sickening green. He was coming, that much she knew already, that he was coming and there would be no stopping him. She cradled her helpless infant in her arms, softly bouncing him as a smile curved across his toothless face, those bright, emerald eyes shining beneath a tuft of jet-black hair. Lily smiled in spite of herself, her own green eyes glistening with held-back tears as she slowly paced along the tiles of her kitchen floor. She knew it would come sooner or later; the Fidellius Charm would only protect them as long as Peter had kept his mouth shut. They all had faith that he would do the right thing, that he would face the Dark Lord and stand against him, fighting, for the first time in his life, for a just cause, a noble cause. That faith had been misplaced.

_I trusted him, _Lily thought to herself as she rocked her little boy, _James and I trusted him with our lives, and he's betrayed us. Sirius told us that we would be safe when we made Peter our Secret-Keeper, that he wouldn't be the one the Dark Lord went to. "He'll come for me first," he had said, "He'll kill me then, but I'll make sure he gets the fight of his life. Voldemort will never suspect Peter though. Make him your Secret-Keeper. He's loyal to you." And now..._ The tears began to stream down her face as she smiled at her small son, _now we die._ Hearing a crash from the adjacent room, she clutched her boy to her chest, shielding him from the imminent attack, the grisly, green light, the swift wings of Death.

"Please, Harry, don't cry," she coaxed as the young boy's lips pouted, pools forming at the edges of his eyes, "Nothing's going to happen to you." She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at lying to her young boy like that, even when he didn't understand her. She clenched her eyes shut and waited for that cruel, high-pitched cackle.

"Lily," came a soft, deep voice, smooth as molasses. Opening her eyes and turning, she locked eyes with her husband's, his glasses askew and his sable hair disheveled as he spoke wildly, "I just got word from Sirius, Moody, and Hagrid. They're on their way now." This was supposed to be good news, but, from the appearance of the man's stony blue eyes and fear etched into the lines of his face, he knew that the help would arrive too late.

The red-headed Lily began to sob openly now as she pressed her tear-stained face against her husband's white shirt, "James. I don't know what to do. We've been fighting for so long, I've seen so much death, and now... now..."

"Don't say it," James urged, almost pleaded, as he raised his wife's chin, "When he comes, we'll be ready. But, listen to me, we need to plan."

Immediately, Lily began to shake her head wildly, "I won't leave you! You won't stand a chance against him and his followers!"

He seized her by her shoulders and spoke forcefully, his eyes now beginning to water, "You have to! Harry needs a mother!" But seeing as how the tears only seemed to stream down her face in another raging torrent, he added, "I can't let anything happen to you. Besides, who knows what old tricks Mr. Prongs has up his sleeves?" A small smile appeared on his face that was nearly identical to Harry's, except, of course, James had all his teeth.

She couldn't help but grin as she reminisced, _Yes, I can imagine what little tricks James can come up with. But, Peter will know all about them... Bloody Wormtail! I hope you get your's after tonight, because, if I live through this, I'll make sure you do. I swear it! _A look of anger shone in her eyes as she continued to rock Harry in her arms, before saying, "I'm going to stay as long as possible," and adding before James could interrupt, "and not a second less."

Learning from years of experience never to fight with her when she had made up her mind, he sighed and replied, "Yes, dear." He laughed under his breath before he took a chanced glance out of the window on the other side of the kitchen, which overlooked a grand forest full of creatures and shadow. His grim heart skipped a beat; one of the shadows moved.

_O, little town of Bethlehem_

"Lily, either Apparate out of here or find someplace to hide," he muttered, his voice cracking as new-found determination burned like fire in his bespectacled eyes, "He's here."

All of the remaining color in Lily's face drained, leaving her skin a ghostly and terrified white as she whimpered, "I want to go with you, James. Please, don't do this."

A chilling silence rang through the house for a few moments, which was broken by a sinister, evil shout from outside that made blood run cold, "Potter... Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

"Lily, take Harry and go. It's him.Go. Run. I'll hold him off," James blurted, tears rolling down his eyes and collecting on the glass lenses, desperation and fear creeping into his voice. Before she could even protest, her husband had darted past her and out the door to face the hooded men outside, the tallest of whom allowed a skull-white hand to protrude from his cloak, holding a wand.

Running into her living room and clutching her still child to her breast, Lily began to think of safe places she could Apparate to. _Alright, think of Remus. I've got to get out of here, so I'll concentrate on him. _In her mind's eye, she could see the little cottage that Remus 'Moony' Lupin owned, with the vines creeping up the side of the cracked walls, dirt upheaved on the front lawn as if they'd been ripped up with claws, and the large, oak door with a pewter knocker. She concentrated hard on the cottage, and waited for the whip-like sound and the unpleasant feeling of being sucked into a tube before she realized in horror, _I'm not going anywhere. _Like being stuck in a your least favorite nightmare, Lily knew that she would not wake up or escape from this dream. In fact, she knew she wouldn't live to see the next sunrise. Running back to the kitchen and staring out the window, she was met with an overwhelming sight.

_How still we see thee lie_

James Potter extended his hand and fired off red beams of light from his wand, sweat beading on his forehead as he thrashed wildly, only to watch as the black hooded figure waved his wand nonchalantly and fired the beams right back at their caster. One crimson spark hit him square in the chest, and James was thrown off his feet, his wand flying out of his hand and into the darkness of the forest. Dazed for a moment and grimly realizing that he had lost, Potter rose to his feet in defiance, his chin turned upward with pride and bravery.

A high-pitched cackle sounded from the tallest hooded entity, as he spoke, "Ah, ever the true Gryffindor, eh, Potter? Stalwart and brave right to the bitter end?" Then, in a very serious and dark voice, he asked, "Any last words?"

"I trusted you, Wormtail," James exclaimed, his voice cracking with sadness, "I trusted you! How can you betray us like this!?"

The smallest of the Death Eaters, who stood the farthest from the Dark Lord, boldly replied, "Because there is no good or evil, Prongs. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it. I was blinded before by you and Sirius, but my Lord has shown me the true path to power. I'm sorry, dear friend, but you are in our way."

James spat at the cloaked Peter, before thundering, "That's what you can do with that, traitor!"

Then, with one almighty sweep of his wand, the Dark Lord bellowed, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

_Above thy deep and dreamless sleep_

Lily couldn't even scream as she watched a green beam of light streak from the wand, accompanied by the rushing of wings, and lance into her husband, who merely grunted as he was thrown back ten feet to the ground. When the lurid light had finally dissipated and night began to settle once more, there stood the Dark Lord over the still, spread-eagled body of her beloved James.

Finally finding her voice, Lily Potter let out a blood-curdling shriek that pierced through the deathly silence, alarming both the Death Eaters and baby Harry, who began to cry as loud as his bereaved mother. Pointing at her and shouting callously to the tear-stained redhead, the Dark wizards fell silent as their leader fluidly turned and locked his eyes with the woman. She gasped at the grotesque face she saw; in the darkness, those slit-like, red eyes pierced through, shining with a grisly, scarlet light, like the reflection of sunlight on a pool of blood, his dagger-like fangs, curled into a hideous smile which radiated just as much luminescence as those horrible eyes. The rest of his face covered in the shadow from his hood, he began to glide closer to the window, to Lily, to Harry. Unlike a normal human, who's head bounced a bit when they walked, the Dark Lord's remained perfectly level, an unnatural aspect to his movements, as if he weren't even on the ground, his bloody eyes coming nearer and nearer. She ran.

Back in her living room, she frantically attempted to Apparate once more, drawing up the image of Remus Lupin's cottage in her head, but every time the small house would appear to her, it would immediately be replaced by an image of her husband, his shining, blue eyes now dim and lifeless, his fair skin now pale and dead, like parchment. Tears stained her eyes as she continued to hold Harry close to her heart, feeling his screams ringing against her chest as she cradled him desperately.

"It's all right, Harry," she squeakily said through her tears, attempting to smile for her son's sake, "They won't hurt you, I swear. I'll die first." Then, as she stared out the large window which overlooked the gravel road in front of her home, her heart froze once again.

_The silent stars go by_

There stood the Dark Lord, his shadowy, black robes billowing behind him as he continued to stare into Lily's emerald eyes with his own, ruby orbs, his serrated teeth flashing a sickening light. He spoke to her now in an eerie, sing-song voice that dredged up horrible memories of lost friends, "Come out, come out, Lily... You don't have to die..."

"Leave us alone," she roared at him through her tears, before climbing a flight of stairs and running to Harry's room. Midway up the steps, a whip-crack echoed throughout the house, followed by the rushing cold of a thousand, needless, _evil _deaths. Just as she felt that deformed glare on the back of her head, she darted down the small hallway, turning to the final door on the left and enterring. Harry's room, bathed in a green glow from the light of the sky outside the window, was a beautiful room, with several stuffed animals scattered around the floor and an ornate, white crib next to a rocking chair. The room gave off the smell of baby wipes coupled with sweet lotion and mixed with the scent that can only be defined as 'baby'. Slamming the white door behind her, she ran to the crib, clutching her child to her heart and attempting to Apparate one, final time. _Calm down, Lily, _she told herself and shut her eyes tight, _You've got to keep your mind clear! For Harry! Think, the cottage... the vines... the walls... the door... the lawn... the countryside... the sun..._

BANG.

_I did it, _Lily thought with triumph, not bothering to open her eyes as she continued to muse, _We're finally away from all that, and Harry's safe in my arms. We made it! We survived! We... _She took a deep breath, and could smell the lotion and baby wipes in the night air. _It can't be, _she thought in disbelief, but was answered by a wild, cruel cackle that cut through the air, _No... No! God, no! _Opening her eyes, Lily saw the green sky outside the window bathing her son's room in that strange, horrible glow, but now a source of light streaked from behind accompanied by a chilling cold. Turning around, Lily came face to face with the most evil, most despicable wizard known to exist: Lord Voldemort.

_Yet in the dark streets shineth_

"No," she muttered in disbelieving fear, before shouting in tears, "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please, not Harry!"

His serpentine voice cutting through the air like a knife, the Dark Lord replied, "Stand aside, you silly girl." He looked up, his scarlet eyes piercing through her as he spoke once more, with venom, "Stand aside, now."

"Not Harry! Please, no! Take me, kill me instead," she shouted wildly as she clutched her child to her heart, holding him as she wept, "Not Harry! Please, have mercy!"

"Mercy is for the weak, Mudblood," Lord Voldemort replied, his insidious voice carrying a very poisonous tone, "And weak is one thing I am not."

Cringing at the sound of that disgusting word, she screamed back at him, "But killing children! What kind of a man are you!?"

"I am no man," he declared with utter finality before raising his wand, "I am a god."

Lily, unable to cry anymore as her tear-stained cheeks stung her face, looked down at her young boy. His eyes were just as watery as hers, just as green, and his soft, black hair was matted against his head from being held so tight for so long, his formerly happy, toothless smile was now twisted in fear. A new courage stormed through Lily as she stared at her son, until finally, she spoke, "You will not," and turned to put her son in his crib, laying him down on the soft mattress and his blue blanket. She then turned to face the Dark Lord, her green eyes pulsating with courage and defiance, as she roared, "You will not touch him!" In her mind's eye, fire seemed to spurt up around the room between the two powerful sorcerors, bathing both of them in a fierce, flickering light.

"We shall see," Lord Voldemort coldly finished before waving his wand once again, "_Avada Kedavra!"_

_The ever-lasting light_

As before, a sickly, green light, accompanied by a rushing sound, spilled out of the wand and moved swiftly towards Lily, who let out another scream as the life was ripped from her body. Everything flashed before her eyes, _my fifth birthday... Petunia pulling my hair... my letter from Hogwarts... being sorted into Gryffindor... meeting Remus Lupin... Sirius Black... James Potter... Peter Pettigrew... becoming a prefect... my crush on James... becoming Head Girl... graduation... James proposing... my wedding... Harry... I love you, Harry... _The light that had blazed in her eyes for so long, that love of life that raged for so many years, was extinguished. Her fair skin, which for so long had felt the loving caress of her husband, was now devoid of any color. Lifeless, she crumpled to the floor and was still.

The Dark Lord, his light steps barely audible over the dying, rushing sound, stepped up to Lily's corpse, muttering in a nonchalant manner, "Such a shame, really. You should have listened." A smile grew across his face, followed by a mad cackle as his eyes and fangs gleamed in triumph before he walked over to the crib, and saw the face that met him.

_The hopes and fears of all the years_

Young Harry Potter, his fair skin stained with tears, had stopped crying. His eyes, a brilliant green that would make a leprechaun proud, were no longer glistening with the terrors of the night, but were deep and glowing. A timid grin appeared on the child's face, that cheerful, toothless grin that would make his mother and father do whatever he wanted. He clapped his hands together as he looked up at the wand that was slowly being raised towards him, and allowed his gaze to wander to that hideous face. Bathed in the sky's green glow, the Dark Lord's pale, white face, lacking hair of any kind, gave him the appearance of having been dead for mere hours. His red eyes, gleaming with a calculating, ambitious light were locked with Harry's green ones. His lipless mouth curled back in a snarl, showing those awful, serrated teeth.

"And now, Mr. Potter," Lord Voldemort spoke with a maniacal glee in his voice, "You will die."

_Are met in thee tonight_

"_Avada Kedavra!_"


End file.
